Calabretta Nerello Cappuccio
| Vintage: | 2019 |
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| Description: | Calabretta's vineyards are located nearly a half mile above sea level in the black volcanic soils of Etna's north slope, between Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia. There, Calabretta farms roughly seven hectares of mostly 70- to 80-year-old vines—many of them ungrafted—on stepped terraces supported by stone walls. Since the winery's founding in 1900, the Calabretta family has farmed and produced wines from Etna's ancient indigenous varieties—including Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio—in the mountain's unique noble vineyards. Historically, the family had sold its wine in sfuso or in barrel to restaurants and to private customers, many of whom travelled long distances to pick up their wine. But in 1997, third- and fourth-generation father and son Massimo and Massimiliano Calabretta decided to bottle their best wine under their own label to ensure the winemaking traditions of their family and Etna would not be lost. Trapped in Time. Slow Food's Slow Wine guide has described Calabretta's style as "a thousand miles away" from other Italian wine, but the gap might be better measured in time, since the estate seems stuck somewhere in the 19th century. In fact, Calabretta's most distinguishing feature is its dedication to long aging, which has stayed the same throughout the family's history as winegrowers. The Etna Rosso ages much like Barolo and Brunello were aged decades ago, in massive (50- 70-hectoliter) neutral Slavonian oak botti for 6 to 7 years. The vineyard practices sound modern but are in fact rooted in the past. They avoid using chemical pesticides or herbicides, and they harvest by hand, starting around the second week of October. Fermentations are carried out exclusively with wild yeasts. Considering such traditional approaches, it's not surprising that Calabretta's wines are so reminiscent of the compelling Brunellos from Montalcino's Soldera, Cerbaiona and Livio Sassetti, or the many great traditional Barolos of the ‘60s and ‘70s. |
| Price: | $ 39.99 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from Vins Rare
| Address: |
1260 Lincoln Ave #300 Pasadena, CA 91103 United States |
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| Telephone (toll-free): | 818-500-8840 |
First added to 1000 Corks on July 10, 2024.
